Solar Powered Round The World Flight Planned For 2009

It's beginning to look like the 21st century indeed:

http://www.solar-impulse.com/en/index.php
Bertrand Piccard and the EPFL unveil project to fly around the
world in a solar powered airplane

Lausanne, Switzerland -- A team of aviators and scientists led by
Dr. Bertrand Piccard, the first man together with Brian Jones to
circle the earth non-stop in a balloon in 1999, announced plans in
Lausanne, Switzerland Friday to develop an aircraft powered by the
sun and capable of circling the earth. The Piccard team envisions
being able to spend full nights in the air by 2007. Piccard will
be assisted by Jones, his co-pilot in their Breitling Orbiter 3
balloon, and André Borschberg, engineer and jet plane pilot. Their
new project, dubbed Solar Impulse , is aimed at demonstrating the
role of high technology in sustainable development. The EPFL
(Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne/ Ecole
Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne ) is the official scientific
advisor to the project. The EPFL conducted thermodynamic research
in support of the Piccard/Jones 1999 balloon flight, and is the
official scientific advisor to Alinghi , current holder of yacht
racing's prestigious America's Cup.

EPFL, November 28th 2003


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http://radio.weblogs.com/0105910/2004/04/01.html

Solar Impulse Will Circle the Globe in 2009

Bertrand Piccard, the Swiss adventurer who was one of the two
first men to fly around the world non-stop in a balloon in 1999,
wants to achieve the same goal again. But next time, he will use a
pollution-free, single-pilot solar-powered aircraft. The plane,
named Solar Impulse, will look like a glider, but its 70-meter
wingspan will exceed the one of a Boeing 747. Universe Today says
a prototype will be ready next year and that the plane should be
ready for its flight around the world in 2009.

The proposed aircraft resembles a glider, but with a mammoth
70-metre wingspan, exceeding that of a Boeing 747. Completely
covered by solar cells and equipped with possibly two tail-mounted
propeller engines, the plane will be capable of unassisted
take-off and will carry the necessary batteries for night flying.
...

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http://www.universetoday.com/am/publ...und_earth.html
Solar Plane Will Attempt to Go Around the Earth

Summary - (Mar 31, 2004) The European Space Agency will be
supplying technology to assist adventurer Bertrand Piccard's
attempt to fly a solar-powered plane around the world. Piccard was
part of the team that successfully flew a balloon around the
Earth. The solar powered plane will have a 70-metre wingspan
(larger than a Boeing 747), and carry enough batteries to be able
to fly in the night as well. The plane would fly at an altitude of
10 km; well above the clouds to capture all the available
sunlight. The first round-the-world attempt will be made some time
after 2009.

Full Story -
Image credit: ESA
ESA's Technology Transfer Programme is to supply state-of-the-art
technologies to assist adventurer Bertrand Piccard's flight around
the world in a single-pilot solar-powered aircraft, ...

The EPFL study says that current off-the-shelf lithium-ion
batteries provide just under 200 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg),
enough to support a single-pilot plane, while a two-pilot solution
would require a capacity of at least 300 Wh/kg.

The plan is to design and construct the first prototype aircraft
in 2004-2005, with initial test flights in 2006. The next step is
to complete night flights in 2007, initially at least 36 hours
including one full night. From then on flying lengths are to be
increased. . Innovative solutions will be required to store the
necessary food and water while reduce weight to a minimum –
familiar problems for ESA engineers designing space missions.

When will the Solar Impulse fly around the world, non-stop? "It is
planned to cross the Atlantic in 2008 and fly around the world
with stop-overs in 2009," says André Borschberg, "To fly around
non-stop depends very much on how quickly we will have higher
energy density batteries…but not before 2009." ...